Pakistan struggles with smuggled relics

8:00 PM,
Oct. 5, 2012

A Pakistani official looks at Buddha statues confiscated by custom authorities in Karachi, Pakistan on July 6.

Written by

Sebastian Abbot
and Zarar Khan

Lacking the necessary cash and manpower, Pakistan is struggling to stem the flow of millions of dollars in ancient Buddhist artifacts that looters dig up in the country's northwest and smuggle to collectors around the world.

The black market trade in smuggled antiquities is a global problem that some experts estimate is worth billions of dollars per year. The main targets are poor countries like Pakistan that possess a rich cultural heritage but don't have the resources to protect it.

The illicit excavations rob Pakistan of an important potential source of tourism revenue, as valuable ...